Luxury Residential Building Developers Explore The Art of Curb Appeal

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"Inverted Arches," an art installation at 525 West 52nd in New York City, draws the eyes of residents and passersby.

Art Assets

Filling hallways and amenity spaces with fine art is not exactly a new trend in the nation’s swankiest luxury residential communities. Positioning large and arresting art pieces to ensure they can be seen from the street is considerably more innovative.

It’s also smart. It’s not just a way to target art aficionados, but also a means of using visual and aesthetic appeal to lure those passing the building on foot and in vehicles. Prominent installations speak volumes about the properties as well, proclaiming them places where art is central to the residential experience. That’s an important quality here in the U.S., home to both the largest share of art buyers on the planet and the greatest number of wealthy art collectors, according to the 2018 World Wealth Report.

Infinitely artistic

At Summit, a luxury rental building at 222 East 44th Street, developers commissioned

the acclaimed, Australia-based sculptor Todd Stuart to create “The Summit of Manhattan,” his first sculpture in the United States. The piece, a reimagining of the infinity symbol, was honed from high-grade stainless steel bearing a mirrored finish and hovers above a reflecting pool, where it can be admired by residents and passersby.

“Grand art such as Todd Stuart’s custom installation is a reflection of the finer things in life, which is what we want to portray as residents enter the Summit, and for passersby,” says Lloyd Goldman, president of BLDG.

“We wanted to provide our residents with an overall luxurious and cultural lifestyle from the moment they enter the building.”

Industrial chic

Rachel Mica Weiss’s “Inverted Arches” welcomes residents of the luxury rental 525 West 52nd Street in New York City. The 20-foot-high entrance piece created from nylon rope casts eye-catching, labyrinthine shadows that gradually change throughout the day. Use of industrial materials celebrates the enclave’s storied smokestack past.

”Our appreciation of art is immediately evident to each visitor as they pass under Rachel Mica Weiss’s ‘Inverted Arches,’ hanging in the double-arch entry,” Andrew Schwartz, assistant vice president at Taconic Investment Partners. “Weiss’s piece is a conversation starter, and as one of the first things people see when visiting or passing by, it works as a preview to showcase our dedication to art and visual forms. ”

Multiple vantage points

An Alice Aycock sculpture was commissioned expressly for 50 West in New York City .

Qualisbenson

Time Equities Downtown tower 50 West features a glass-walled exhibition space in its lobby, which can be seen from an outdoor plaza. Displays of art rotate within that space. The first piece on display is artist Alice Aycock’s 10-foot-tall twister sculpture of white powder-coated aluminum, commissioned expressly for 50 West.

“Alice Aycock’s sculpture that was specifically made for and inspired by 50 West can be seen from multiple vantage points, inside and outside the lobby, offering unique perspectives depending on the angle in which you are viewing it” said Francis Greenburger, CEO and founder of Time Equities.

“There is an interplay of the spiral of the sculpture with the curved facade of 50 West and several other art works throughout the building depict 50 West as it was being constructed. Art was not just placed in or about the building as a decorative element, but was approached as an integral element to the experience of being in the building, as the art and architecture was integral to one another . . . It enhances our resident and visitor experience and adds an element of imagination to our public spaces.”

Bronze pumpkins

The posh Midtown West rental building SKY, designed by Hill West Architects in collaboration with Rockwell Group, showcases one of the carved polka dot bronze pumpkins of celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The conspicuous installation is the subject of countless photos taken by passersby who spot it on display along the building’s infinity-loop motor court.